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Cocktail History
The Spring’s First Bloom is a modern cocktail that was created by Charlotte Voisey of New York City, New York. The recipe uses the Gin Sour template and shakes the botanical spirit with lemon, frothy egg white, and a mixture of spring-inspired flavors including lemongrass, elderflower, lavender, and microgreens.
Cocktail Ingredients
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients:
Gin: This is a spirit made with juniper berries, botanicals, and alcohol. This recipe specifically calls for Hendrick’s Gin, but we used Prairie Organic Spirits Gin because it has a classic juniper flavor with notes of citrus and spices. For a mocktail version of this drink, try MONDAY Zero Alcohol Gin in place of the gin.
Lemongrass Syrup: This is a sweetener made with lemongrass, sugar, citric acid, and water. We used Monin Premium Lemongrass Syrup.
Lemon Juice: This is the liquid juice of a lemon. We used freshly squeezed lemon juice.
Elderflower Liqueur: This is a liqueur made with elderflowers, citrus, herbs, sugar, and alcohol. We used Edinburgh Gin Distillery Elderflower Gin Liqueur because it’s high quality and has a fresh, floral aroma and flavor. For a mocktail version of this drink, try Monin Premium Elderflower Syrup in place of the elderflower liqueur.
Egg White: This is the clear liquid in an egg. We used fresh egg whites because they add a rich, silky smooth texture.
Lavender Bitters: This is a food product made with lavender buds, botanicals, herbs, and alcohol. We used Scrappy’s Bitters Lavender Bitters.
Microgreen Leaves: These are the leaves of a microgreen plant.
Bartending Tools
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following bar tools:
Jigger: This is used to measure and pour ingredients. We used the Japanese jigger from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.
Boston Shaker: This is used to shake ingredients. We used the Boston shaker from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.
Hawthorne Strainer: This is used to strain out ice and solid ingredients after the cocktail is shaken. We used the A Bar Above Hawthorne Strainer.
Paring Knife: This is used to cut ingredients. We used the OXO Good Grips 3.5 Inch Paring Knife.
Juicer: This is used to juice citrus. We used the ALEEHAI Manual Fruit Juicer.
Tasting Notes
The Spring’s First Bloom has a noticeably sharp aroma of lemongrass and a taste that can only be a described as a well-blended amalgamation its ingredients, with no one standing out too much above another, although the lavender’s and lemongrass’s herbaceousness is most noticeable on the finish.
Our Opinion of This Cocktail Recipe: This drink made us immediate fans, mostly thanks to its almost scientific pairing of seasonal flavors. We both thought the Spring’s First Bloom was an absolutely delicious way to wrap up our spring cocktail lineup.
Which of our palates is yours most like?
Find out if your palate is most similar to Alex’s or Kendall’s by answering five questions.
Which of our palates is yours most like?
Find out if your palate is most similar to Alex’s or Kendall’s by answering five questions.
Alex’s Take: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
“This drink was honestly very tasty! While drinking it, I couldn’t help but notice that the flavors are perhaps a bit too balanced, and in that I mean I couldn’t pick too many unique notes out. Lemongrass was prominent, and the lavender did show up on the finish, but the gin and elderflower were surprisingly lost in the mix. I honestly would make this again for company because I believe it would be a hit for everyone, but I’m not completely sold on whether or not I would drink it again personally.”—
Kendall’s Take: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
“I’ll be honest, I didn’t expect to like this cocktail all that much. I anticipated that it would be pretty bland in taste, but I’m happy to say I was very, very wrong. The lemongrass syrup is the star, and I fell in love with its effect on the botanical spirit and floral liqueur. Both were masked fairly well, and the frothiness gave it a dazzling mouthfeel. I would serve this with an Asian meal because it would pair very well with the umami flavors.”
Recipe
This cocktail recipe was adapted from Liquor.com, an online beverage publication.
Add gin, lemongrass syrup, lemon juice, elderflower liqueur, egg white, lavender bitters, and cubed ice to a shaker.
Shake for 10-20 seconds.
Remove ice from shaker.
Dry shake for 5-10 more seconds to emulsify egg.
Strain into a cocktail glass.
Garnish with microgreen leaves.
Ingredients
Directions
Add gin, lemongrass syrup, lemon juice, elderflower liqueur, egg white, lavender bitters, and cubed ice to a shaker.
Shake for 10-20 seconds.
Remove ice from shaker.
Dry shake for 5-10 more seconds to emulsify egg.
Strain into a cocktail glass.
Garnish with microgreen leaves.
Make It a Mocktail: Use MONDAY Zero Alcohol Gin in place of the gin and Monin Premium Elderflower Syrup in place of the elderflower liqueur to try a booze-free version of this drink.
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More Floral Cocktails
If you like this flower-flavored cocktail recipe, here are a few others we’ve tried that you may enjoy:
Lavender Sour: A gin cocktail made with lemon juice, Green Chartreuse, lavender syrup, egg white, and dried lavender buds
The Garden Rose (Variation): A tequila and sparkling wine cocktail made with elderflower liqueur, strawberry syrup, lemon juice, rose water, and a strawberry rose
The Cherry Blossom: A sake and gin cocktail made with maraschino liqueur, grenadine, triple sec, lemon juice, and a cherry
Marigold: A gin cocktail made with Cocchi Americano, Fernet-Branca, lavender bitters, and an orange twist
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